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Mao-Chan Slammed.


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Craeyst Raygal



Joined: 30 Apr 2002
Posts: 1383
Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 12:56 am Reply with quote
Well, I kind of saw it coming, but boy did Zac slam this one. Now, I have no opposition to slamming Ken Akamatsu's creations/slamming Ken Akamatsu/slamming your car into Ken Akamatsu, but boy I haven't seen Zac this aggravated by a series since..... well..... the last time he reviewed a Dragon Ball Z movie.

Brain-meltingly bad, wow. Classic.
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Tenchi



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 4471
Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 1:39 am Reply with quote
It's exactly the sort of review I love reading. This sort of review is exactly the reason I think this site is head and shoulders above most other anime review sites that pull their punches when things are bad. Even if I happen to like at least a few live-action films which were meant to be bad, like Charlie's Angels (both of 'em), Cabin Boy and even Freddy Got Fingered... well, fortunately for me, this site doesn't review American live-action films.

But, anyhow, while I'm sure Zac will get a handful of nasty e-mails and maybe even an angry post or two in this thread, I doubt this will be a repeat of the Saint Seiya review incident, since Saint Seiya's almost like the "national cartoon" of certain European and Latin American countries (well, it's the cartoon some people in these countries seem to remember watching when they were growing up most fondly), and, while I'm sure most Saint Seiya fans are reasonable people, there's a vocal minority that can't seem to stomache any criticism of that show and seem unable to accept that some of us simply won't be able to enjoy a show about celestial tournament-style fighting due to subjective personal taste (and I don't need to watch dozens of episodes to know it's not my bag), and this vocal minority is larger than that for any other series I've ever encountered.

In contrast, well, I don't know whether or not Mao-chan is shown on television in those same countries (it's kinda recent and there are far fewer episodes, so it wouldn't be a dependable time-slot filler which they can rerun into eternity and keep most of the audience), but I don't think it's been around long enough to build nearly as substantial or as fanatical a following, and it's much too "cute" to appeal to the "machissmo" of the sort of tough guys whom might enjoy the constant fighting on Saint Seiya.
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Legato 2057



Joined: 18 May 2003
Posts: 437
Location: Soon to be Japan
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 1:42 am Reply with quote
Wow, thanks Zac, I needed a good laugh!
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Godaistudios



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2075
Location: Albuquerque, NM (the land of entrapment)
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 1:44 am Reply with quote
Yep... I'd have to say he was a bit... harsh.

One might say that it's not bad anime if it fufills it's intended purpose, but all that's really saying is that it appeals for it's intended demographic.

Then again, he qualified that by pointing to toddlers. Now while I do like cute things (and I somewhat hang my head in shame when I say I've seen the first two DVD's of this) it is over the top. I must agree that it is mindless and I suppose that any attempt to look for something deep in Mao chan will render one completely stupid. Smile

Oh yes... and the dub is horrible. The Japanese isn't much better though I can at least appreciate Yui Horie showing more range than we often get from her. And while this is subjective, I must admit that I do enjoy Akumatsu's character design/drawing style. Granted, there are other artists somewhat guilty of this, but if it sells... meh, I'm not one to argue heavily in the area of art style.

I kinda feel sorry for Zac having to watch it, as it is exactly the type of show that has multiple strikes he'd have aganst it before even opening the case. On that note, what is the target audience (honestly) for the U.S. release? While you could clearly call it a kids show in Japan, and it could most definitely be called a kids show here, since it is NOT televised, who are they expecting to purchase the DVD's? While I have bought some of Sugar (a good purchase to show my 6 year old niece) this is one that will NOT be added to my library. In all honesty, there are certainly better mindless wastes of time. Now if I'm shown it for free, I won't run screaming to the insane asylum, but it certainly isn't worth much more than the 2 cents I've left in my comments here.
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lobotomoy



Joined: 14 Oct 2003
Posts: 38
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 2:14 am Reply with quote
Zac is gonna be so sorry when the cute aliens come for him. If Mao-chan were to read this, she wouldn't lift nary a magical baton to save him.

just kidding Very Happy
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Tempest
I Run this place.
ANN Publisher


Joined: 29 Dec 2001
Posts: 10421
Location: Do not message me for support.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 9:04 am Reply with quote
Godaistudios wrote:
I kinda feel sorry for Zac having to watch it,


Feel sorry for me while you're at it. When I first read Zac's review I wouldn't post something so excessively negative without first having seen the show myself.

So I watched it. Well, I watched 2 episodes, 1 in English and the 2nd in Japanese.

It's not so much that I want those 30 minutes of my llife back (although I do) but rather I want to forget the experience ever happenned.

-t
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Vigilante024



Joined: 11 Jul 2003
Posts: 578
Location: back. but not really.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 9:16 am Reply with quote
haha! I actually had no plans on ever seeing this show, and now I def. know I'm not missing anything. But, OoOoOoo! a lunchbox!?! maybe they're thining if you hit your head with it enough times you'll have the mentality to watch it as a 6 year old. Laughing
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 11:51 am Reply with quote
So basically if one is over the age of 6-years-old, they're not going to like it. To bad a toddler couldn't have reviewed it instead then. Wink A good way to tell if a toddler likes something, or not is to observe he/she's attention span. If they stay transfixed until the end it must have been good. If however after 2 minutes they just toddle away, then it was of the same content as in a soiled nappy, (or diaper as you colonialists call it.) Razz
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Shorty22



Joined: 09 Aug 2003
Posts: 504
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 2:03 pm Reply with quote
Is that Mao-chan on the cover? She looks like some crazed drum major.

I read the article, solely because Zac wrote it. And while it was an amusing read, I cannot help but feel guilty that Zac (and Tempest) have suffered by having to create it.
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cookie
Former ANN Editor in Chief


Joined: 02 Jan 2002
Posts: 2460
Location: Do not contact me for support.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 2:22 pm Reply with quote
Tempest wrote:
Godaistudios wrote:
I kinda feel sorry for Zac having to watch it,


Feel sorry for me while you're at it.


No, feel sorry for me because I shelled out $300 for the import Mao-chan sets (each with a tin lunchbox).

(Actually, though, I rather enjoyed the series. It was a nice distraction from the depressing goings-on in my life at the time. Plus it came with some artbooks, and a model of Mao. It wasn't so bad. Really.)

[EDIT]
And yes, that "crazed drum major" IS Mao-chan. :)
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Chiyosuke



Joined: 06 Oct 2003
Posts: 368
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 3:59 pm Reply with quote
Zac that was harsh, yet funny Anime exclamation . thanks because I was actully considering getting that (then again I still may). Cookie and Tempest, I salute you for your bravery and feel very sorry too.

question: Does that mean that I shouldn't Akamatsu's next 2 works coming this spring?
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Craeyst Raygal



Joined: 30 Apr 2002
Posts: 1383
Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT.
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 4:19 pm Reply with quote
Depends on who you ask, KURIous.

If you ask me, you should send Ken Akamatsu a letter much like this hilarious reference to The Simpsons.

"I will never again watch your shows, buy your products, or brake if I see you crossing the street."

But then, I'm a very bitter Tenchi Muyo fan who considers Love Hina one of the reasons that the once revered franchise is languishing in the doldrums.
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Samurai CDZ



Joined: 22 Mar 2003
Posts: 776
Location: Manhattan, KS
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 4:31 pm Reply with quote
Very entertaining review. I actually want to see it now, just to see how bad it really is. But since I don't have the brain cells to spare, I think I'll pass.
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Godaistudios



Joined: 12 Jun 2003
Posts: 2075
Location: Albuquerque, NM (the land of entrapment)
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 6:17 pm Reply with quote
Craeyst Raygal wrote:
Depends on who you ask, KURIous.

If you ask me, you should send Ken Akamatsu a letter much like this hilarious reference to The Simpsons.

"I will never again watch your shows, buy your products, or brake if I see you crossing the street."

But then, I'm a very bitter Tenchi Muyo fan who considers Love Hina one of the reasons that the once revered franchise is languishing in the doldrums.


I wouldn't really see it as much of a contributor... and if anything, I blame the fans. Even more so, the anime was far more shallow than the manga. At least the manga was better drawn, had better characterization, and a more cohesive plot.

Comparitively, you have the fans to blame who go gaga over the Love Hina anime, though I haven't really heard any blatantly knock Tenchi. As for myself? I enjoy both the LH manga, and the Tenchi OVA's. I just think your resentment is a bit maligned.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2004 6:42 pm Reply with quote
Mao-chan haunts my nightmares.

Some of the upcoming reviews are almost as harsh. I've had to watch a lot of junk lately. Thanks for reading, everyone... here's hoping Chris sends me something good to review next time!

-Z
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